Source: Walker, UConn coaching staff weren't unified

Published 12:04 am, Sunday, January 23, 2011

STORRS -- It did not take long for former UConn freshman forward Samarie Walker to find a landing spot. A source confirmed Saturday that she will transfer to Kentucky and begin classes Monday.

It was announced Thursday that Walker was leaving the Huskies with the intention of transferring. She will retain three and a half years of eligibility and will be permitted to play for the Wildcats following the conclusion of the 2011 fall semester.

Walker's quick turnaround caught UConn coach Geno Auriemma off-guard.It also put an end to what was a tumultuous few months for Walker and the Huskies.

"I had no idea she was considering Kentucky," Auriemma said.

"All I can tell you is what she told me and what she told the other coaches and what she told the other players ... that she had lost her interest in playing basketball. When I came back from New York (Friday) and someone told me that she's enrolling at Kentucky Monday, that was as big a shock to me as anything that I've heard."

Walker, from Dayton, Ohio, averaged 6.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in 18.8 minutes in 17 games this season. She declined comment Saturday.

A source with knowledge of the situation said Saturday that Walker came into Auriemma's office in October and said she lost her passion to play basketball in 10th grade and wanted to leave UConn to possibly pursue a career in fashion design. Her parents did not know how she felt, the source said, and the reason she came to UConn was because her parents would be happy.

The meeting ended with Walker going to practice and Auriemma believing they had turned a corner. But every day at practice was a struggle for Walker, the coaches and the Huskies, the source said.

Walker returned from Christmas break and the issue started all over again. Walker did not want to do anything in practice, according to the source, and the issue came to a head during a game against Louisville on Jan. 15. Auriemma asked Walker during a timeout if she wanted to play. All he received in return was a blank stare, and she spent the final 15:26 on the bench.

That prompted Auriemma to make the decision to leave her behind when the Huskies left for North Carolina the following day. She told her mother, according to the source, that the reason she did not make the trip was due to a pulled hamstring.

Auriemma and the coaching staff again met with Walker Thursday. Walker said she had been doing a lot of thinking and that she did not want to play.Auriemma told her to call her mother and tell her what she had told him. Her mother later called Auriemma and told him she did not understand what was happening, the source said.

Walker's mother said she was under the impression that her daughter was going to tell him that she wanted to be on the team and would do whatever she had to do to play.

Auriemma then had Walker come back into his office to tell her mother the truth, the source said. Her devastated mother broke down and was begging her to stay at UConn.

Walker ultimately offered to stick it out for two more months and then leave after the season. That was not an option, the source said.

Walker gave Auriemma a list of schools and Kentucky was the first one she mentioned. Walker finally said she did not want to play at UConn because there was too much scrutiny and pressure.

"The key is getting an education somewhere. But it won't be any easier there as far as the basketball. No matter where you go, Division I college basketball for an athlete is a wake-up call for the amount of energy and time commitment."